Mike Tomlin knows what he’s doing.
The head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers has never seen a losing season in more than 17 years at the helm. He’s engineered a Super Bowl win, navigated the end of the Ben Roethlisberger era and guided a Mason Rudolph-led team to a playoff berth.
In 2024, he made Justin Fields a winning quarterback for the first time in his career. Then he deftly replaced him with Russell Wilson once the veteran recovered from a calf injury, shrugging off criticism while adding a new dimension to the Pittsburgh passing game.
So it’s safe to say Tomlin knows ball. After nearly two decades of televised games, he also knows where NBC’s cameras are.
Google him, too pic.twitter.com/clmqQjRY2A
— Dave Dameshek (@Dameshek) October 29, 2024
That was Tomlin’s reaction after the quarterback he’d controversially inserted into the starting lineup hit Van Jefferson with a big-time back-shoulder deep ball against the New York Giants on Monday night.
Wilson. Van Jefferson. 36 yards!
📺: #NYGvsPIT on ESPN/ABC/ESPN2
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/zUyWH0Ku6K— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2024
Wilson’s big throw ended in a 36-yard gain and the outward approval of his head coach. Four plays later, he found Calvin Austin for another deep connection — this time for a touchdown to take a late two-possession lead.
Russell Wilson drops it in a 🪣 for Calvin Austin III's second TD of the night!
📺: #NYGvsPIT on ESPN/ABC/ESPN2
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/KWAglgI9WV— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2024
Tomlin liked that one too — just not directly into the camera lens.
